Where life may lead me
by baynard
Summary: Old old story i wrote a couple years back, never got around to finishing it. Decided to clean up and place in the proper crossover section that did not exist back in my day, and if by the end of the process i have reawakened my muse i will continue it
1. Chapter 1

Summary: HP/Naruto Peter wasn't a traitor, and on Halloween was babysitting Harry with his wife while the Potters were attending a funeral. After the defeat of Voldermort, Kakashi found Harry and mistook Peter and Ann as his dead parents. Harry was taken to Konoha…..

It was Halloween. The Potters had left to attend the funeral of the late Minister, and had left their son with close family friends, Peter and Ann Pettigrew. "Isn't he cute?" cooed Ann as a giggling Harry stared at her with his big adoring green eyes.

"That he is. Aren't you Harry-kins? Huh? Huh?" Young Harry gave a shriek of delight as Peter chucked him under his chin. The couple smiled at each other through sad eyes, knowing that they could never have children. They had tried, but Ann simply could not get pregnant. It was times like these playing with little Harry that made them want to laugh and cry at the same time. That was one of the reasons why they had volunteered to watch the Potter heir; they wanted a night alone with the baby. But it was not to be.

As the young couple played with the greed eyed baby, a violent shudder shook the house to its very foundations. An alarmed Harry began to cry; and he did not cry often. Ann seized the frightened Harry, and began to rock him while exchanging a panicked glance with her husband. The only reason the house would tremble like that would be that the wards had fallen. A trembling Ann listened to her pale husbands whisper. "Ann take Harry and go! Floo to Hogwarts and warn Dumbledore!"

While Ann was running for the fireplace, the front door burst open with a flash of purple light. A startled Ann tripped and skidded but managed to avoid crushing Harry. She got to her feet, but stood frozen as a chilling laugh filled the room. "Well, well, well. What have we here? Young Peter and his wife." A low chuckle followed as a hooded man stalked through the broken door. But this was no ordinary man. This was Lord Voldermort himself. Though Peter was nowhere as skilled as his three pranking friends, he was still a marauder, the best of the best. Flipping the couch over with a wave of his wand, Peter created a temporary barricade between his wife and the advancing dark lord.

"Go Ann! Go! Don't stand there!" The sound of her husband's voice caused her frozen legs to burst into action. Sprinting the last few yards to the fireplace with Harry in arm, she was just reaching for the floo powder when a flash of green light ended her life. Her lifeless body fell to the ground next to the raven haired baby who was crying at the top of his lungs.

Voldermort gave an evil smirk as he observed his handy work. "And what will you do now Peter?" Voldermort sneered at his enraged opponent, and was shocked by the ferocity of his adversary's attack. The berserk Peter sent spell after spell, casting faster then he had in his life. He had already lost his wife. He would take down Voldermort and join his wife in the after life. But even rage can only do so much as Voldermort demonstrated when he killed Peter.

"And then there was one." Sneering contemptuously at his deceased foe, he moved towards the other room. Casually waving his wand, the makeshift barricade exploded into dust. Strutting over to the fireplace he toed the body of Ann Pettigrew disdainfully. Bending over, he picked up the crying baby. As soon as Harry saw the inhuman eyes of the dark lord, he ceased crying.

"So, you are the one with the power equal to mine? You are the one that will one day kill, Lord Voldermort? I think not." Placing the staring baby on the floor, he leveled his wand at the infant. As he prepared to cast the killing curse, a chill ran down his spine. The unnaturally quite baby stared, seemingly defiantly up at him. Shivering, Voldermort took aim. "AVADA KEDAVRA!" As the power rushed toward the raven haired baby, it seemed to slow down. Voldermort could only star in horror as his spelled slowed down to a crawl, and then stop before the green eyed baby's forehead. The power of the spell began to cut into Harry's forehead, but the immobilized spell began to move again. It was not moving towards its intended victim.

The dark lord did not even have time to cry out as his body was engulfed in a flash of green light. Like so many victims before him, Voldermort felt the pain of having one's soul removed forcefully. But it was not over. There were still pieces of his soul anchoring him to the living realm. As the seventh piece of his soul was sent cascading from his mortal body, he swore vengeance against the green eyed child. As the dark lord died, his magical energy was released all in one go. All of Britain felt the power, even the muggles. The power being released from the dead body was not all scattered to the winds so to speak. Some of it was absorbed into the wound of Harry's forehead, rendering the child unconscious.

The muggles outside Godric's Hallow panicked, as suddenly a huge wreaked mansion had appeared out of thin air. Some stood at a distance gaping in shock, while others ran about in panic. Nobody noticed the slight breeze as a man appeared over them in the branches of an ancient oak tree. This man's name was Kakashi Hatake.

He was by muggle standard what they called a ninja. But by his people, he was called a Shinobi. Not just any Shinobi, but black ops, an ANBU. The recently promoted Kakashi had just completed an S class mission, and his journey home had been interrupted when he felt the tremendous chakra release, and the increasing of an already huge chakra source. The first release of chakra could have only been done through death, for surely no one could release that much chakra without releasing his own life force. And true to his prediction, once released the chakra began to fade.

What made him stop to investigate was the second chakra source, one more powerful then even his! As he examined the smoldering ruins of the mansion from the safety of the tree branch, Kakashi decided to get a closer look. Disappearing in a whirl of wind and leaves, he reappeared at the scene of destruction. Picking his way carefully among the debris, he came upon the body of a young man, a bit older then he was. He was no doubt dead, the chakra in his body long gone.

As he picked his way through the remains of the living room, he picked up the sound of heartbeat with his enhanced hearing. Hurrying over to the source of life, he stopped dead at the sight before him. A woman laid next to an unmoving baby, perhaps its mother, and a little away from the baby was the body of a man. Even though it was a dead body, it still raised the hairs on the back of Kakashi's neck. There was no doubt where the tremendous release of life force had come from; even dead, the chakra still leaked from the body. As he turned his attuned sensed towards the surviving child, Kakashi received a second shock.

The large source of chakra was coming from the baby! Picking up the still child, he examined the strange wound on the unconscious child's forehead. From there, chakra poured out like a leaky faucet. That meant that there was a foreign power source in the child. Suddenly, large green eyes opened and stared up at the one eyed man. Instead of crying as most babies would do when picked up by strangers, our young hero gave a giggle and a smile at the ninja. Even a hardened killer like Kakashi could not help but smile as the young child began to squirm and squeal.

But his delight soon turned to sorrow as he cast a glance at the child dead parents. "What am I going to do with you?" pondered the black clad shinobi as baby Harry reached for his leaf head band. "Ah, ah, no touching." Kakash pulled his head back slightly causing the curious baby to give a cute pout. "What to do?" questioned Kakashi out loud as he set the baby on the ground and let him wander a bit. He stared sightlessly at Harry as the baby crawled over and tried to wake the late Ann Pettigrew.

Giving up, Harry crawled back over to Kakashi and exclaimed, "Up! Up!" Smiling through the black mask covering his mouth, Kakashi brought the happy baby onto his lap as he came to a decision. Standing up, he walked back to where the nursery would have been. There, Kakashi picked up a surviving stuffed phoenix. "Nana!" exclaimed a gleeful Harry.

"Nana huh?" A silver eyebrow shot up. "Well, I've come to a decision." Kakashi moved back to the remains of the living room. "I will let you decide little one." He placed the aging toy onto the floor. Taking 11 paces, he pulled his kunai knife from his leg strap and dropped it point first towards the floor, where is quivered as the blade sunk into the soft earth. Walking exactly halfway between the two items, he looked down at the questioning eyes of the baby in his arms. "Now you will choose." Placing Harry on the floor, Kakashi took a step back. "Should you choose the toy, I will take you and leave you at the doorsteps of an orphanage, but if you choose the blade, I will take you back to Konoha where you undoubtedly will one day become a great shinobi."

Of course being barley one year old, Harry didn't understand a word the funny man was saying so he crawled toward the toy. But as he did, he stopped. There was that strange object he had never seen before. It seemed to call to him. Making up his young mind, Harry turned about and crawled for the blade. Plucking the blade from the ground, he sucked on the handle. A chuckling Kakashi picked up the frowning Harry. "So you picked the path of a warrior eh? Well so be it." In a whirl of wind that stirred the ashes of the ruined house, he disappeared into the night.

The Potters returned to a ruined house with two dead friends in it. Their child was missing, and the dark lord was dead. As the wizarding world celebrated the death of Voldermort, The Potters franticly searched for their lost son. Little did they know that they would not be seeing their son for 13 long years.

AN: Reviews would be nice. Flame me all you want, but you better give a damn good reason! And if you think you can do better, then be my guest. " 


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Been too long since I've had a chance to do anything with I'll be posting every few days hopefully. Reviews would be nice, but if you don't give any I'll plow through the story however I like.

"speak"

'thought'

**The Decision**

If Kakashi did not have a mask on, it would have been obvious to any observer that his jaws were dropped as low as it could go. As it was, only the most observant would be able to tell he was in shock due to his widened eyes. Konoha, his home, was in ruins. The once proud front gate which normally welcomed the returning leaf shinobi's looked like a sardine can that had been opened with a hammer. The giant doors were unhinged, and lay flat on the ground as if it had been trampled by some great beast.

Through the destroyed gates, Kakashi could see into the normally peaceful village. It was in complete and total chaos, people were running about screaming as homes and buildings that still stood burned. Those trapped under rubble were crying out for help, the few ninjas that normally kept order were either dead or dying. As the shock of seeing his beloved village in this state wore off, Kakashi shifted the sleeping baby in his arms as he surveyed the damage.

Coming to a decision, he raced towards the fallen gates, intent on heading straight for the Hokage's office. If anyone would have answers, then his blonde sensei would. But as he passed the fallen gates, he noticed a survivor. Slowing down, and coming to a halt before the dying man, he placed the young wizard in his arms on the ground. Gently as he could, Kakashi set the dying man into a more comfortable position, and surveyed his wrecked body. From his caved in side, he could see that the man had sustained multiple fractures to his ribs, but that was not the fatal injury. Both of his legs had been torn off, in an extremely violent manner, as if shorn off by the teeth of some huge beast.

Ripping the sleeves from his shirt, Kakashi began to bind the bleeding stump of the guard. "What happened here?" The legless man gritted his teeth against the pain and answered in a trembling voice.

"Kyuubi, it came through the front gates. We didn't stand a chance." The man coughed and continued hacking until blood stained the hand covering his mouth. Taking another deep breath, he continued, "Nearly every shinobi who went against it died. We finally managed to injure it enough to make it retreat."

The man fell into another violent coughing fit. Kakashi eased a flask of water towards the dying mans lips. Taking in deep gulps, the man gave a croaking laugh. "I'm going to die aren't I?" His laugh changed into sobbing as he clutched at his chest. "Kakashi, make sure you guys get it. Kill it! Kill it!" With his final hysterical proclamation, the wounded ninja gave one last shuddering breath and stopped breathing altogether. Shaking his head at the lost of life, Kakashi moved back to the bundle in front of the dead man.

Curious green eyes stared back at him as he reached down to pick up baby Harry. Kakashi gave a sad chuckle as he clutched the precious bundle closer to himself, "You choose a bad time to come to Konoha." Removing his gaze from the staring baby, he took off once again towards his destination.

As he arrived towards the normally heavily guarded tower, he found it completely abandoned. Fearing the worst, he raced up the stairs faster then he ever had. Rounding the corner at the top of the stairs, he continued his mad dash down the hallway towards the Hokage's office. Skidding to a halt in front of the oaken door, he gave a mighty kick that slammed the unlocked doors into the wall behind it. The sight of the Fourth calmly drinking sake met his eyes. Letting out a breath he did not know he was holding, he allowed his tense body to relax a bit.

The Yodiame looked up from his drink at his former student. "Oh, it's you Kakashi." The voice usually filled with passion and fire was dull and lifeless. Alarmed, Kakashi took a closer look at his former sensei. Eyes that once held hope and happiness had dimmed to black unseeing orbs.

"Hokage-sama, what's going on?" Kakashi demanded. A blank stare was his only answer. Something was very wrong.

"She's dead." Blinking at the 4th's answer Kakashi hesitated before asking.

"Who's dead sensei?"

"Kushina," whispered the lifeless Hokage, "Kushina is dead." His voice had raised and cracked at his last statement. Kakashi went into shock, Kushina, kind and gentle Kushina was dead?

"Your son, did he…?" The blank stare held the answer Kakashi did not want to hear.

As the silver haired man grieved silently, a spine chilling roar echoed through the village. It seemed the Kyuubi had recovered enough to continue its assault. "Hokage-sama, you need to do something. You're the only one who can!"

Staring at his student, the Yodiame gave a bitter laugh. "Maybe I could have, but now…..There is no suitable candidate to hold the Kyubbi's soul."

The silver haired jounin shook his head, "There has to be a way. You always told us that there is no problem that can't be solved. You taught us to never give up!" His raised voice startled the baby in his arms. The green eyed infant gave a gurgle and struggled against Kakashi's grip. The Yodiame looked up at the noise, and for the first time since their meeting, Kakashi could see his eyes returning to focus.

"Kakashi, hand over that child." Staring at his blonde teacher, he hesitated before handing over his young charge. Holding the silent child in one hand, the Hokage made a number of one handed seals. His eyes glowed briefly, and he stared down at the child held in his hands. A smile crept up the frowning face of the Hokage, "Yes, I see it now. Kami has granted me a way for revenge." His eyes dimmed back to normal, and the Yodiame stood up still holding the infant wizard in one arm. "Kakashi, join your comrades on the field of combat. Tell them I will be there soon and to not give up hope." Glad to see his old sensei back, Kakashi gave a sharp nod of his head and disappeared with a poof of smoke.

The 4th cleared away the table with a swipe of his hands and place the raven haired baby down on the table. "I don't know where Kakashi found you, but you must be sent here by Kami." Staring down at the baby, the Yodiame hesitated for a moment. What right did he have to ruin this child's life? But he had no choice. It was between his beloved village and an infant child's life. "I hope when you are older and you learn the truth, you can find it in your heart to forgive me." With his own guilt pushed into the back of his heart, he pulled out a kunai and sliced his hand.

Allowing the crimson liquid to drip towards his finger, he performed numerous seals with his hands. As his hands blurred between hundreds of seals, the blood on his hands began to glow. Finishing with a final dragon seal, he began to trace a circular pattern with his blood on the young wizard's stomach, starting from his belly button and moving outwards. After completing the seal on Harry's stomach, he picked up the curiously silent child. He stared down at the open eyes of the baby's, and for brief moment, he thought he saw understanding and acceptance. 'No doubt the comforting thoughts of a guilty man' Hearing the screams of agony coming from the shinobi fighting the Kyuubi, he raced towards the battlefield.

Kakashi was blinded in one eye. His left eye had been crushed and he could feel liquids running down his face. His left arm had been broken too, but at the moment he didn't really care. Obito was dying. The lower half of his body had been crushed by a stray slap of the demon's tail. Concentrating to keep conscience, he crawled over to his long time friend. "Obito, hang on, I'll get a medical-nin."

A rasping laugh escaped his friend's lips. "Don't bother Kakashi, I'm screwed as it is, and you can barely keep awake let alone go get help." His Sharigan eyes moved over to the ruined eye of Kakashi's. "Damn, you look ugly as ever." Kakashi managed to smile under his mask even through the tears in his one good eye.

"Don't worry, you'll make it. Rin will come and heal you." Coughing, the dying Uchiha gave a hollow laugh.

"No she won't; she bought it back when that fox first showed up." Kakashi was devastated by the news, and for the first time, Kakashi wept openly since the death of his suicidal father. "Huh, you can't cry with only one eye Kakashi." The dying Obito moved his hands together and made six seals, two of which Kakashi could not identify. "This is a move of my own, so you better appreciate it." Obito put his left hand to his left eye, and out popped his eye. He shoved the orb into Kakashi's ruined socket. Performing three seals with his free hand, the hand covering Kakashi's face glowed with heat.

"Obito, what did you do?" Kakashi asked in shock.

"Gave you something to remember me by." Smiling up at his companion, Obito began coughing again. "Damn it Kakashi, take off your damn mask" Complying with his dying companions wish, Kakashi pulled down the fabric obscuring his face. "Heh. At least I can die knowing what you really look like." Obito looked up sadly at Kakashi and murmered faintly, "Don't grieve too hard Kakashi. We all have to die some day." With his last words of wisdom, Obito Uchiha departed the land of the living.

As the Kyubbi continued his rampage through the hidden leaf village, nothing stood in his way. "**I will destroy this pitiful village!**" roared the maniacal demon. His statement was punctuated by a huge explosion of smoke towards his left. Turning his insane eyes to the clearing mist, he saw a giant frog with a yellow haired human riding upon it.

"I won't let you Kyubbi. I'll make sure you never destroy anything ever again!" With a roar of rage, the nine tailed fox charged at his amphibian riding opponent. As he approached the mounted human, he saw the shadow of the death god floating behind the Yodiame. A huge hand erupted from the chest of the 4th, and as it passed through the raging Kyubbi's chest, a bone chilling laugh was let loose from the death god's mouth.

Kyubbi could feel his very soul being tugged out of his body, and he could do nothing as he was paralyzed by the death god's hold on his body, "**You cannot hope to hold my soul in your pitiful body human! When your life is ended by the death god, my soul will burst from your pathetic body and return to my own! Nothing will stop me from having my vengeance!" **

"I know." Smirking up at the confused look in the Kyubbi's eyes, he held up the helpless infant in his grip. "That is why he will hold your soul, and when this child's life is claimed by death, so will your immortal soul!"

"**NOOOOO!" **With a final tug, the demon's soul was free from its body, and as it passed through the Hokage's body, he formed three seals over the body of the raven haired baby. The seal on the child's stomach glowed and the green eyed baby gave a wail of pain. His final task done, the Yodiame fell face first next to the container of the demon. With his vision fading and his breath failing the Hokage took one last look at the unconscious baby.

"I'm sorry my young friend, you have a tough and terrible journey ahead of you, but if you succeed, your power will exceed any other in the mortal world." The sadistic grin of the death god filled his vision, and the youngest hokage of konoha knew no more.


	3. Chapter 3

Kitsune ran as fast and as hard as he could. His lungs were burning and aching, but he pumped his short 5 year old legs like steam powered pistons. But it was no good, the drunken mob was catching up to him, and when they finally caught him, things were going to be uglier then the Uchiha Massacre. Kitsune cursed himself for being stupid enough to walk past a bar this late at night. Darting down a dark alleyway, he hoped to escape in the cover of darkness.

Darkness was his only friend, the only one who helped him, and hid him away from the hating glares he received from the villagers. But not even darkness could save him now. He had hit a dead-end. Twisting his body around, Kitsune looked left and right, hoping, praying for an escape. Kami must have been on break, for it seemed the alleyway was a complete dead-end, an absolute deathtrap.

"Come out and take your beating you little demon brat!"

"Yeah you little punk! You've lived 5 years too many!"

The drunken slurs of his pursuers was right behind him. Turning around so that he faced his tormenters, he braced himself against the wall and crossed his arms in front of him. Not that it would do him any good. Maybe he would disappear like he did last time. 2 weeks ago when he had been stuck in a situation that was becoming awfully familiar, he had somehow transported himself to safety. But it would seem that karma was a spiteful bitch, and just wouldn't let him get away for once.

Crunch! Kami must have gone out to a frat party, because he sure as hell wasn't home listening to Kitsune's prayers. "Yeah! Kill the demon!" "Make him suffer like he made us!" Punches, kicks, slaps, were all aimed at his tender body. Kitsune noticed in a detached fashion, that both his legs were broken. Damn, these guys were going all out on him tonight. This had to be the worst beating he had ever received. Even at the orphanage where he had run away from a year ago didn't dare do anything permanent to him.

'Maybe I'll die. Maybe it's Kami's way of answering my prayers.' As blissful darkness consumed his weary conscience, he could have sworn he had heard a voice calling to him

Instead of the cool comfort of being unconscious, Kitsune found himself in a sewer, a dank, dark, rusty sewer. Picking himself up from the crouching position, he examined his body. 'Weird. Didn't I just get the life beaten out of me?' Taking in his surroundings, Kitsune came to the conclusion that he was no longer in Konoha. How very right he was. 'Maybe I transported myself again. Place sure as heck isn't any better.'

He was startled out of his musing by a thunderous voice, "**Come Kit! Come to me!"** Any child would have quivered in fright, and most likely would have burst into tears. Hell, any sane adult would have pissed themselves, but Kitsune was not afraid.

'How much worst can my life get? Maybe whatever spoke will kill me.' Following the directions given by the voice, he wandered through corridor after corridor of dripping sewage. Finally, the voice brought him to a huge gate. The gate must have stood at least 50 feet tall, and it was completely featureless, just plain old metal bars. Taking a closer look, he noticed a seal on the center bar that had a kanji on it. Most children at the age of 5 could barely read, but Kitsune had grown up on the streets. Knowing that if he could not read or write he was screwed, he had resorted to stealing from a bookshop so that he could teach himself how to read and write. His studies had finally paid off, for he recognized the symbol meaning seal.

"**Come closer." **beckoned the mysteriously powerful voice. Now in its very presence, Kitsune could feel the raw power radiating from whatever was behind the bars. Trusting the cage to keep him out of harms way, the ravened haired boy walked fearlessly closer. A huge claw shot out from the darkness, the bars being the only thing that had kept Kitsune from being crushed. **"Oh how I loathe you!" **The voice had returned full of malice and hate. **"You are lucky these bars keep us apart Kit! I would tear you to pieces if I could!" **

The green eyed street urchin looked by impassively at the glowing eyes narrowed at him. "I've heard you bark doggy, now lets see you bite." Roaring in fury, the Kyubbi (if you couldn't figure that out…..) slammed his body against the cage again and again until even the sewer itself seem to tremble. Kitsune crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, "Just as I thought, you can't do anything, whatever you are."

Sneering down at the child before him, the demon lord stood at his full height. "**I am the Kyuubi! The most powerful demon in all the plains of existence. No creature can stand before my might! Not even your precious Fourth Hokage! All he could do was seal me in your infant body! And to my eternal rage, I have yet to find a weakness in his seal!" **

Though Kitsune was shocked by the information he had just received, he allowed none of it to show on is face. If what Kyuubi said wad true, then it would explain so many things. Why the villagers hated him. Why everyone looked at him with fear. Why the Anbu was always tailing him. "I don't care if you are the greatest demon alive, you're still stuck in me!"

Snorting at the comment, the fox demon leered down at Kitsune. **"That may be true brat, but mark my words; I will find a way out of this shithole!"**

Staring curiously about him, Kitsune returned his gaze to the trapped demon before him. "Where is this place anyways?"

"**This foul place is your mind boy! And it is one of the shittiest places I have ever had the misfortune of living in!" **

"And you deserve it too. But don't worry. You won't be living here for much longer, after all I am dieing and more then likely I'll take you with me!"

Snorting in amusement, the Kyubbi lay back down on the ground. "**You got guts boy. Do you honestly think I'll let you die that easily? I have no plans to die inside you boy!" **

Staring up at the huge fox before him, Kitsune was hit by inspiration. "You're a thousand year old demon; surely you would have gathered a vast amount of knowledge in your lifetime. Train me!" The fox sneered at him.

"**And why should I do that?" **

"I am your vessel, so in a sense I am a representation of you. If I am seen as weak, so are you!"

There was a long silence in which the massive fox leaned it's snout closer to the bars so that it's large luminous eyes could peer down at Kitsune. Laughter echoed through the dimly lit hallways of the mindscape. "**You know what? I think I will train you! You remind me of my self when I was not but a kittling. And you're right; nobody shall see the Kyuubi as weak!" **Red chakra surged from the Kyuubi and slipped between the bars separating the beast and boy. The hellish chakra proceeded to wrap itself around Kitsune's body. As the red chakra fully cloaked him, Kitsune felt his conscience wavering once more. The last thing he heard before he blacked out once more was the menacing laughter of the nine tailed demon.

Pain, pure agony. It was the first thing he felt when he was rudely forced back into consciousness. The burning fire seemed to be inextinguishable in his shattered limbs. Every inch of his body seemed to be bruised, and he must have been missing a square foot of his skin. Blinking his eyes, some part of his mind that was making the observations of his mutilated body noted that his left eye had been punctured. Groaning, Kitsune began to thrash around in pain.

"**Kit, stop your thrashing. Its making you bleed even more." **Not even questioning why he could hear the Kyuubi's voice, he heeded the growled advice. His stomach began to burn, but not the painful torturous flames that tormented the rest of his body. The fire that burned in his belly was cool and soothing, and it spread, slowly but surely throughout his broken body. Kitsune watched in amazement as his body began to repair itself. Bones snapped back into place, he could even feel his spine shifting! Skin grew at an incredible rate, covering the wounds that were weeping out blood. The pain seemed to wash away and his whole body relaxed as it completed the healing process. The fully healed Kitsune sat in a puddle of his own crimson life fluids examining his repaired body. Once more, the Kyuubi's thunderous voice broke him away from his thoughts. "**I have agreed to train you. I've also done you a favor." **

"What favor?" Kitsune asked curiously.

"**You need not speak aloud for me to hear you. You look like an insane fool talking to yourself."**

'Alright, alright. You still haven't answered my question. What favor?' Once again, Kitsune could not help but notice how ominous the Kyuubi's chuckling was.

"**Don't worry about it. It'll take a few years before they become obvious. Now go home. You may have healed, but your body is still recuperating from the beating you received. You'll need the rest tomorrow, when I introduce you to my demon training!" **As Kitsune hurried back to his apartment, he had the strangest feeling he had signed a deal with the devil.

AN: Sorry for the long update. I broke my arm and couldn't type or write. Update should come soon

AN from future: Holy crap this was a blast from the past haha don't even remember writing this stuff, like i'm reading a new story myself


	4. Chapter 4

AN: "Spoken aloud" 'Thought'

Just wanted to clear things up in case you're confused

"**Kit. Kit! Damn it! KIT!" **The furious roar of the Kyuubi startled the sleeping Kitsune so much that he fell out of bed and slammed his head on the floor.

Cursing and nursing (hey that rhymed!) his head, he glared at the alarm clock. 'Why the hell did you wake me up at this kami-forsaken hour?'

"**Your training, remember? If I am to be your sensei, then you will do as I order you. Every morning, regardless of weather, you will be waking at 5 and exercising. Now go brush your teeth, eternal glory waits for no one." **Mumbling curses he had learned from drunks on the streets, the half awake Kitsune stumbled to his barely functional bathroom in his tiny apartment. After finishing the necessary daily morning ritual, the young wizard headed to the kitchen and was pulling down 2 boxes of ramen from his ramen filled cupboard before the nine tailed fox spoke up.

"**Don't eat yet you fool!" **snarled the Kyuubi. "**You'll puke your guts out while exercising." **Grumbling under his breath some more, the raven haired boy put the ramen at his table to be eaten later after whatever hellish workout the Kyuubi had in mind. How very right he was.

'So what now you fur-ball?' smirking in his cage the Kyuubi let out an echoing laugh.

"**Now is where hell begins! I want you to give me 5 laps around Konoha. Whenever I feel like it I will tell you to stop. When I do, you are to give me 25 pushups, 50 sit-ups, and 50 squats. I don't care if you're in the middle of crossing a street or drowning in a river. When I tell you to stop, you stop got it!"**

At this point the young demon vessel was fully awake and gaping in disbelief. 'Konoha is nearly 3 by 5 miles! You want me to do 5 laps around that!'

"**Get used to it boy. I'll be adding more distance and heavier workouts as you progress. And once you're used to it, we'll have to think about getting some weights as well. Now get going! I want you back before 10, or you'll do another set of it!" **Knowing that it was futile to argue about it and each second was precious, Kitsune took off running towards the rising sun.

He barely finished by the deadline set by the Kyuubi. It was exactly 9:58 when he stumbled back into his apartment on shaking legs and drooping arms. The Kyuubi's idea of training would have made Ibiki sob in terror. The young wizard's five year old body simply wasn't designed to take that kind of punishment. Kitsune felt like he had been beaten all over again. Hell, he would rather take the beating, after all Kami might come in and intervene in his beating, but there was no way in hell anything was going to stop the Kyuubi's torture. Every quarter mile or so, the Kyuubi had shouted at him to stop. His groin was aching from the amount of squats he had been forced to do, his arms were dead from the pushups, and he swore he felt something in his abs rip after the four hundredth or so situp.

And the evil monster in his head loved to choose the most awkward places for him to work out at, under a hive of bee's, in front of a bustling street, and even in front of a bear den. Needless to say, he hadn't finished every workout that was demanded from him. All in all, he had done close to 600 pushups, and somewhere around 1200 sit-ups and squats. The Kyuubi informed him that if it were not for his healing abilities due to having a demon sealed in him, he would take months to recuperate. Luckily, or unluckily as Kitsune saw it, he would be more then ready to do it again tomorrow morning.

"**Not bad kit, not bad at all. I did not think you would have the grit to finish the 5 laps. I applaud your admirable efforts. Now go take a shower. I'll lay out your training exercise as you eat." **Stumbling towards his rusty shower on trembling legs, Kitsune turned it on and allowed the numbing ice cold water to soothe the fiery ache torturing his abused body. Someone had tampered with his heating system so Kitsune had to suffer through chilling water even in the winter. Now Kitsune was blessing the person who had so spitefully pranked him, it was a godsend.

'You sure I can't just go back to bed?'

Growling the Kyuubi chortled merrily, **"No, now hurry up and go eat." **After finishing his freezing shower, Kitsune headed to the kitchen where he proceeded to boil some water for his ramen. The Kyuubi piped up as he began unwrapping the instant noodle. **"What the hell is that crap?" **

"It's called ramen genius."

"**That shit is going to kill you faster then smoking. Eat something else." **Snarling in anger, Kitsune was once again reminded why he ate nothing but the unhealthy ramen that filled his cupboard.

"Yeah well the child support bastards barely give me enough for the ramen. Do you honestly think I enjoy this stuff? If it weren't for the old geezer breathing over their necks every month, they probably wouldn't even send me any money." Pouring the boiling water into the two exposed cups he then covered them and sat down to wait out the three designated minutes until his noodles were edible.

"**Hmm. I can't let you keep up this pathetic diet of preserved noodles. It'll kill your body and stunt your growth. Today, we will go on the hunt!" **Grabbing his only pair of chopsticks, Kitsune began hungrily slurping down his measly breakfast.

'So you were going to explain to me exactly what your plan to torture me was?'

"**Yes, my masterful plan to make you the most feared shinobi alive. You already experienced firsthand what you will be doing every morning, so there is no need for me to go into detail."**

Kitsune winced as he felt a painful throb run through his body. 'No Kidding.'

"**Our next plan of action was to get you some information on chakra control, but after seen you eat that preserved crap, I've changed my mind, we'll go hunting instead. And perhaps forage for a bit of food as well. You humans need vegetation to grow up properly. Do you have a weapon?" **'Well there is that kunai some drunk had thrown at me a few years back; I keep it under my pillow.'

"**Good, that's a good start. Now finish your food and head for the nearest forest.**"

It was nearly 6 at night by the time Kitsune returned to Konoha, and he had been quite successful on his first hunt. He had managed to gather a few withering pieces of vegetation that seemed edible, and had plucked some of the mutant overgrown fungus that grew in the Forest of Death. He had unknowingly begun learning how to separate the poisonous plants from the less deadly ones based on the demons snorts in his head. The Kyuubi had also taught him how to set simple traps, and though he didn't catch anything today, it was still good practice for his future career as a shinobi of the leaf.

What had really taken the most time, though it had been well worth the effort, was hunting the heard of boars. It had taken a combination of stealth and agility to finally enable Kitsune to spear a boar on the end of his makeshift lance he had made with his kunai. However his 5 year old arms had not been powerful enough to drive the spear completely through the pig and kill it, but with encouragement from the Kyuubi, he had managed to wrestle the struggling boar to the ground and slit its throat with the kunai. All in all it had been a productive day for Kitsune, and it must have made a strange sight with him returning to Konoha with a dead pig dangling over his shoulder. The gate guard had raised an eyebrow at him as he passed, but made no comment.

It was as he returned to his dingy apartment that it occurred to him that he had no idea how to butcher the pig. 'Oy! Kyuubi! How the hell do I clean this thing?'

"**You humans are such fussy eaters. D****on't worry about it kit, I'll show you."**

Curious as to how a demon fox would know how to perform such human actions, he asked the fox, 'How do you know how to butcher a pig? Don't you guys just chew on whatever you kill?'

Laughing, the Kyuubi rolled over onto his back before replying. **"I'm a demon thats lost count the years of my existance. When you live as long as I do, you pick things up. Besides, one of my favorite hobbies was passing myself off as a human." **

'Why would you do that? I thought you hated humans, after all you did attack Konoha.'

"**You know kit, I still haven't figured out why I attacked Konoha." **the demon fox admitted. Shocked by the Kyuubi's confession, Kitsune almost cut off his thumb with the kunai.

With tears springing to his eyes and his bleeding thumb in his mouth, Kitsune cursed wildly. 'What! How can you not know why you attacked us!'

"**Everything from that night is fuzzy; I don't really remember what happened. I've spent the past 5 years trying to piece together what happened. And trying to escape." **

'Why did you pass off yourself as a human?' Letting loose a perverted chuckle, the huge fox smirked before replying.

"**Let me tell you something kit, your human women are a lot nicer to their mates then female demons."**

'Huh?'

The Kyubbi chuckled again, "**Maybe when you're older you'll understand." **Not quite satisfied with his mentor's answer, Kitsune nonetheless went back to butchering the pig. 'That's what they always say.'

By nightfall Kitsune was enjoying his hard earned meal, and it was quite satisfying too. Chewing on a mouthwatering piece of pig tripe and munching on his over boiled vegetables, Kitsune couldn't help but comment to his tenant, 'Hey this isn't too bad.'

"**It's definitely better then that ramen crap you were eating." **

'Yeah, well whose fault is that? If you didn't get sealed in me, they wouldn't hate me and I'd have money to buy food.' Kitsune pulled out his kunai and sliced off another piece of the roasted pig. "Parents would probably be alive too." he muttered as an afterthought.

"**Is that the only kunai you have?" **

"Yeah" he answered through a mouthful of pork.

"**We'll need to increase your arsenal then. Perhaps get you some shurikens while we're at it. You'll need to get good with those if you're ever to become a ninja." **

Kitsune snorted in contempt. "And who, pray tell, is going to sell such dangerous weapons to a 'demon brat'?"

"**Good point." **The Kyuubi fell silent in contemplation, and didn't speak up again until Kitsune had finished his meal and cleaned up. **"Alright brat, I've figured out a solution." **Curious as to how the demon was going to get him the necessary tools, he sat down to listen to the Kyuubi's idea. "**The morgue."**

"What!" exclaimed the shocked Kitsune. "There is no way I'm going to be a grave robber!"

"**Be silent and listen fool! No you're not going to dig up a grave. When a shinobi dies in action, hunter-nins are sent to dispose of his or her body so that no other village can learn any of the deceased ninja's secrets. The only thing that is brought back to the village is the dead ninja's gear, and that is left at the morgue until his or her family member comes to claim it. Most the time, people are too pained to even come to get these weapons, and so that's where you come in. You'll go and take these weapons of the deceased. Nobody would miss them." **

A silent battle was going on in the private part of Kitsune's head. On one side, he argued that it was totally disrespectful, not to mention weird to steal a dead guys stuff. But on the other hand, he had no other way to get what he needed, and this was the only solution. Practicality finally won out over morality. 'Alright, but only this once.'

Kitsune finally understood why people described the morgue as 'silent as the grave'. It was totally creepy, coming into the darkened room that was full of the bodies of the dead. Mumbling a quick prayer as he opened the drawers that held the weapons, he proceeded to fill the bag he had brought with him full of weapons. Following the Kyuubi's directions, he took only the ones his fox sensei told him to.

"**Take 30 kunai and 50 shurikens. And take those senbons as well, they may come in handy. Take every piece of paper with symbols on them. And the wire, you'll need that too. That's the basic stuff. Take whatever else that interests you." **By the time he had finished looting the cupboard; his bag had very little room left for anything of 'interest'. Kitsune couldn't decide between the giant shurikens, or the giant kunai. In the end, he decided to take both.

Mumbling another quick prayer to ease the soul's form which he had just stole; Kitsune managed to sneak back outside without detection and made a beeline for his apartment. After stashing away the weapons he had stolen, Kitsune proceeded to flop onto his squeaky bed and drift off to dreamland. He felt a strange tingling in the scar on his forehead as he was finally claimed by sleep.

AN: Kitsune, aka harry potter will meet Hinata in the next chapter which should be up in the next few days. Reviews would be very encouraging, even if it is only to point out how I screwed up.


	5. Chapter 5

Kitsune cursed to himself mentally. 'Almost there, almost there.' With a sudden burst of adrenaline, the five year old sprinted for his apartment. 'Time!'

"**Heh heh. You made it just in time kit." **The exhausted boy breathed a sigh of relief. It was exactly nine o'clock. Kitsune had found that the Kyuubi did not make idle threats. On his second day of training, aka torture, Kitsune had not made the time the kyuubi had wanted. As he had promised him on the first day, the Kyuubi forced him to repeat the exercise all over again. Needless to say, he had time for only one meal that day.

Now, two weeks into his training, the cursed fox had upped his daily routine. At every stop, he was now required to do 35 pushups, and 70 sit-ups and squats. And every two days or so, his deadline to finish would be cut down by ten minutes, forcing him to go faster and faster. The first week had been a nightmare for the poor boy, and on his 3rd day of being ordered to do a second set of running, Kitsune had refused. 'What could the fox possibly do?' he had thought.

The Kyuubi had refused to heal Kitsune until he finished his second set, and the fox had informed him that without his help, he wouldn't be moving around for a month of so. So with no other choice then to improve and adapt, Kitsune had done just that. The past four days, he had managed to finish before the given time, but today was cutting it close. Walking into his shower on shaking legs, the black haired boy proceeded to blast himself with ice cold water. It was the only way to soothe the ache, by numbing his body.

Kitsune chewed through the remainder of the fish he had had for dinner last night. 'So what's the plan oh mighty fox? Shuriken and kunai practice, then taijutsu?'

"**Not today kit. We're taking a break from physical practice and going into the theoretical side of being a shinobi."** His curiosity piqued, and his body screaming in relief, Kitsune hurriedly finished his breakfast.

'So what exactly are you teaching me today?'

"**I'll explain it to you, now go sit down, this could take a while." **Heeding the demons advice, Kitsune took a seat on his bed. **"As you know, ninjas practice a number of arts to make themselves unmatched in the face of combat. Taijutsu, weapon practice, and trap setting, you already practice every day. Now, I'm going to introduce you to ninjutsu and genjutsu. Ninjutsu creates a physical effect, and can be used for offense or defense. Genjutsu are illusions that effect the mind, and though they have no physical effects, in the hands of a master, it is even more deadly then ninjutsu." **

'Why's that?'

"**Ninjutsu can be seen, so if you're fast enough, you can dodge it. Genjutsu has to be sensed, and even then, it takes an iron will to dispel it. Another reason would be that ninjutsu can only do physical damage, damage that can be healed over time. Genjutsu does mental damage and the mind is much harder to heal then the body." **

Kitsune nodded to show his understanding, and motioned for the fox to continue his lecture. **"Now, though ninjutsu and genjutsu are often radically different in effect, they both have one thing in common, they need to be fueled with chakra to be effective." **

"Wait, hold up. What's this chakra thingy?" The great fox sighed in annoyance.

"**I'm getting there you fool. Now be silent and listen. Chakra, is the life energy that all living things have. Anything living has chakra, from dogs to trees, to humans. And when one properly harnesses chakra, it is an extremely powerful and useful tool.**

'That red stuff you wrapped me in when we first met….?'

"**That's right kit. That was my chakra. Your chakra as with most humans will most likely be blue. But enough on the explanations, all the explaining in the world will do you no good until you try it yourself. Now get in a comfortable position." **

Kitsune grunted and winced as he laid his sore body on his bed. **"Now relax, and listen to your heartbeat." **

'Heartbeat, why heartbeat?'

"**The heart is where chakra is centered about in normal humans." **

'You said normal… meaning I'm not?'

The fox snickered. **"It seems my dunce of a student can be sharp once in a while. Yes, you having me sealed in you are not normal. When you learn to tap into my chakra, the greatest source of chakra will not be around your heart, but around your stomach, where my power will leak into you through the damn seal." **The Kyuubi shifted a bit in his cage. **"Now relax! No more questions." ** Knowing that the demon's word was final, Kitsune closed his eyes and listened to his heartbeat.

He did not know when he had fallen asleep, but at some point, Kitsune had been lulled to a state of semi awareness. In this limbo between sleep and conscience, he had felt a current running in his body, not the crimson fluids that kept his body supplied with oxygen, but a current of power that kept his body alive. He was starteld awake by the Kyuubi's rumbling, **"Well that's a surprise. You actually found your chakra on your first try." **

Blinking the sleep from his eyes, Kitsune sat up, feeling his body ache, but to a much less degree before his meditation. "What? Most people can't?"

The Kyuubi gave a muffled laugh. **"Why do you think there are so few shinobi? Everyone has chakra, after all it's the thing that keeps our bodies alive, and with the necessary amount of training, anyone can control the chakra. Hundreds of children are applied to your human academies, yet only 1 in ten will ever become true shinobi. Most never make it past genin. People usually take anywhere from weeks to years before they can get in touch with their chakra. You humans are far too impatient for such grueling meditation. The longer it takes, the more discouraged they become, making them less in tune with their chakra. Remember boy, your emotions are a great factor in you ability to control chakra. It can allow you to control every last bit of energy with an iron fist, or make the simplest jutsu impossibly hard." **After absorbing in the Kyuubi's daily bit of thousand year old wisdom, Kitsune decided to eat again.

As he cooked what remained from his fishing trip, he questioned the demon about chakra. "So now that I can find my chakra, what do I do with it?" Kitsune began to clean out the fishes intestines.

"**I'll tell you after lunch." **After a quick meal, Kitsune headed out into the woods as the fox had instructed him. **"Now, try to find your chakra source again, and this time, stay awake!" **Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Kitsune closed his eyes and listened to his heartbeat.

This time, he felt more then heard the gentle circulation of his chakra. "Got it."

"**Alright, now try to grasp your chakra and will it to move."**

"Move?"

"**Yes, the chakra is circulating about your body in certain routes, but attached to these routes are more paths for the chakra. These path leads to points outside your body where it is released whenever you perform jutsus. These points on your body are called tenketsu points." **Closing his eyes once more, the five year old concentrated on his chakra. Inhaling and exhaling slowly, Kitsune relaxed his body. All at once, he concentrated on his flowing chakra, and willed with all his might for it to move. After a minute of internal mental struggle, he felt a surge of power leave his body. Though he could not see the chakra, he noticed that all the falling leaves that had been falling gently about him had suddenly been blown away by an invisible wind. A sudden exhaustion ran through his body, as though he had just run a mile, and he fell forward gasping for air. **"Not bad kit, not bad at all."**

Catching his breathe. Kitsune stood up and stretched, "So now what?"

"**Well you'll practice using your chakra while I sleep. I want you to practice until you can call upon your chakra without such intense focus and concentration." **Grumbling about slave drivers and stupid foxes, Kitsune set to work carrying out his sensei's orders.

By nightfall, the determined boy had gotten to the point where he could call upon his chakra instantly, but he still had to concentrate a lot. **'Hmmm. The boy is progressing much faster then I thought he would. Perhaps I have a genius on my hands after all.' **The Kyuubi bared his teeth in a semblance of a smile. **'Quite fitting that the vessel of the Kyuubi will prove to be a genius.' "Kit, lets call it a night. Your chakra is getting dangerously low, and even I can't cure you of chakra depletion." **

Too tired to even answer, the green eyed boy headed towards his apartment. 'So chakra exercises will be all I'll be doing?' he asked hopefully.

"**You wish! I still expect you to do your morning exercises. Until you can do chakra related exercises, the only way to build your reserves is good old fashion physical workouts!" **And so it went, for the next 2 weeks, Kitsune would wake up each morning, do his exercises, and then return for a shower and breakfast. Then he would head out and practice taijutsu and his projectile skills until noon. After lunch, he took a nap till 3 o'clock to rest up his body. Then the Kyuubi forced him to release his chakra until he was dangerously close to chakra exhaustion. After dinner he would go to bed, waiting the next day of training.

Sarutobi was getting worried. It had been nearly a month since the energetic Kitsune had visited him. The worried Hokage had dispatched an Anbu to check on the child, but he had reported that Kitsune was fine. Still, the 3rd could not help but be worried. The green eyed boy had been through so much already, being orphaned, then having the trauma of having a demon sealed in his body next to his soul, then being kicked out of the orphanage, and of course shouldering the hatred of the village of leaf.

Sarutobi had vowed that he would help Kitsune, but the best he could do was keep him off the streets, and stopping the council from lynching Kitsune. The 3rd sighed as he gazed out the window ignoring the pileup of papers that needed reading and signing. He would personally go visit Kitsune if he could, favoritism be damned, but with the chunnin exam coming up, followed by the jounin exams, there was simply too much to do. Not to mention the cloud-nins that would be coming to sign the treaty. Sarutobi frowned in thought and played with his pipe.

There was no way the Cloud would give up that easily, they must want something in Konoha. But the benefits of having the treaty signed was simply too great to ignore. The 3rd took another drag from his pipe, sighed, and sat back down at his desk. No doubt he would still be there the next morning. Being Hokage required not only skills in the field of combat, but also an inexhaustible amount of stamina necessary for signing papers!

"**Alright kit, I think you're ready for the next level." **Kitsune smiled as he felt excitement rising in him. Finally, something new. **"For the past two weeks you have been forcing your chakra out of your body. You've gotten to the point where you can do that without thinking or even concentrating solely on gathering chakra. Now, I want you to concentrate all the chakra to your head." **

Kitsune blinked. "My head?"

The Kyuubi sighed. **"Yes, was I not clear the first time? Your head." **Shrugging, Kitsune focused his chakra to his head, causing his a small headache due to the amount he had forced into his head.

'Like that?'

"**Good, good. Now get a leaf." **Picking up one of the many leaves littered around the ground, Kitsune wondered where this was heading. **"Now place it on your head. Good. Channel chakra to your head again." **Obeying the Kyuubi's command, Kitsune sent chakra rushing to his head. The leaf that had been resting on top of his head shot up 2 feet in the air where it proceeded to slowly float to the ground. **"I want you to keep the leaf constantly floating 2 inches above your head. Up until now, you have been sending your chakra out in erratic bursts. With this exercise, you will now have to release a constant amount of chakra towards your head. Too much, and it will float off, and too little, it will not get to the 2 inches I want. Get moving." **

Putting a new leaf on his head, Kitsune closed his eyes, and gently pushed chakra to his head. The dried leaf trembled, then slid off his head and fell to the ground. Frowning, Kitsune picked it up and put it on his head once more, and sent a surge of chakra to his head. This time, the leaf didn't even move, but instead disintegrated into dust. Cursing as the Kyuubi laughed at him, the raven haired boy dusted his head off. "How am I supposed to concentrate with the stupid village cheering like that! And for that matter, why are they cheering anyways?"

The fox forced his laughter down, allowing a few snickers to escape. **"Maybe they think you died kit. That would explain all the cheering." **Kitsune snorted in contempt. The fox was probably right. Clearing his head and trying to ignore the insistent cheering of the villagers, Kitsune went back to work.

By 1 o'clock, Kitsune had perfected the demon's training and had the leaf hovering exactly 2 inches above his head. **"Good job kit. Now stand up with the leaf on your head. Do not allow it to move, if it does, you'll do a hundred pushups." **Standing up carefully so that he didn't let the leaf move, he managed to get in an upright position without the leaf moving. **"Now I want you to walk around with the leaf exactly 2 inches away from your head. If it even moves, you are to do 50 pushups and 50 sit-ups." **

Taking careful steps, Kitsune set about to complete the fox's challenge. Sometime at 4, Kitsune had mastered this particular exercise, though he had done more pushups and sit-ups then he could count. He had gotten so good he could run around without the leaf leaving the 2 inch perch on his head. **"Very good kit. You are making more progress then I thought possible. But then again, you are being taught by the most powerful demon!" **Kitsune snorted. Go figure. **"Now I'm going to up the training even more. Get 4 more leaves. And don't you dare let that one on your head fall!" **

After getting the four leaves necessary, Kitsune followed the Kyuubi's instructions and placed one on each of his foot and hands. **"Now send chakra to your arms and legs, and make those leaves hover 2 inches above each respective limb. Then once you're ready, I want you to walk around the clearing. And once you can do that, I want you to run. Got it?"** Not even giving the demon a reply, Kitsune set to work. Sometime during his exercise, the bored fox had fallen asleep, and so had not been there to stop Kitsune from continuing when he had reached his limit. Needless to say, the Kyuubi was given a rude awakening when his vessel face planted on the forest clearing.

"**Kit. Damn it, KIT!"**

The exhausted Kitsune woke to the sound of someone crying and a heavy set of feet stumbling through the bushes. Standing up blearily and wondering what the hell was going on, Kitsune headed towards the source of disturbance. He blinked in surprise when he came upon a heavily wounded man holding a little girl over his shoulder. The first thing he noticed was that the girl was really cute. Then, he noticed that she had no pupils. It wasn't until he heard her crying did he realize that she wasn't exactly out on a walk with her uncle.

"Hey, what are you doing!" he demanded. The injured man snarled and turned around to face the raven haired boy. He had a scar running across his face, a squished nose that was no doubt broken, and watery blue eyes that were squinting in his direction.

"Get out of my way kid and I won't kill you!" Sneering back at the man, Kitsune drew his kunai and threw it at the man. His training must be paying off, for the man barely managed to dodge it. Given the fact that he was wounded, it was still an impressive throw, after all this man was an elite jounin from the Cloud.

"Alright kid, now you asked for it!" Dropping the bound Hyuuga heiress, he charged forward towards the unarmed boy.

'Oh crud! What do I do!' **"Focus your chakra into your legs and hand and punch him!" **Reacting to the Kyuubi's words, he sent chakra towards his limbs, then blurred forward towards his opponent. The surprised cloud-nin had not expected the boy to be able to fight. He stared in disbelief as he felt the pain in his abdomen due to the chakra enhanced punch the child had dealt. Combined with his multiple wounds and sealed off tenketsu, he fell over and fainted from pain.

Kitsune dashed forward towards the still bound girl, and picked up his fallen kunai along the way. He sawed off the rope that had kept the girl captive, and was caught off guard as the purple headed girl glomped him. She had quite a grip and wouldn't let go, and after hearing her sobbing, he didn't have the heart to try to pry her off. "Don't worry, your fine now."

"That..man.hiccup..he tri.tri.. tried to kidnap me!" An uncomfortable Kitsune scratched the back of his head.

"Well my name is Kitsune, what's yours?" With her lower lip still trembling, Hinata stuttered out an answer.

"My na..name is Hin..Hinata Hyuuga." Kitsune blinked. Now what was he supposed to do. There was and unconscious man lying on the floor no doubt dieing, he was dirty as hell, and to top it off, he had a purple haired girl in a ceremonial kimono strangling him.

"**Say something kit." **He didn't know what to say, and blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

"Wanna be friends?" Hinata blinked back her tears and stared at her rescuer. Be his friends? Why not?

'He is kinda cute.' "umm. O..ok." Kitsune blicked owlishly and stared at her. He had not expected her to say yes. Every other kid he had tried to make friends with had either ignored him, left him, or had their parents drag them away while glaring and some cases cursing Kitsune.

"REALLY!" Kitsune bounced around excitedly. "I don't really have any friends." With his last proclamation, he became more withdrawn and sad.

"Nei..Neither do I. Daddy won't let me play with the other kids" she said sadly. "He says its too dangerous to leave the compound without protection." Smiling cheerfully, Kitsune pulled Hinata to her feet.

"Well now we can be each other's friends." Staring at her curiously, he asked, "Where do you live?" Blushing shyly for no apparent reason the Hyuuga heiress toed the ground.

"I live in.. in the Hyugga com.. compound. Its between the street the academy is on and the street that leads to the Uchiha compound."

Nodding his head, Kitsune smiled his infectious smile. "Don't worry, I'll come visit you, and we'll be best friends, ok?"

Hinata smiled back shyly. "Ok. But I really need to go back now. Momma and Daddy are probably worried." Just as she finished her sentence, an extremely torn up Hizashi Hyuuga burst through the bushes causing Hinata to squeak and Kitsune to draw his blade.

"Hinata-kun! You're safe!" Hizashi blinked as he noticed the dead culprit on the ground, and the demon container so close to the Hyuuga heiress.

"Kitsune-kun, did you do this?" Kitsune nodded an affirmative.

"Yeah! Kitsune-chan was awesome!" Hinata piped up. Realizing her outburst as her uncle stared at her, she lowered her eyes and blushed cutely.

"Well I'm sure you'll have the thanks of the Hyuuga Clan Kitsune-kun, and if not that, at least my thanks." Hizashi bowed towards Kitsune. A surprised Kitsune bowed back automatically. Not many people would show him that kind of respect.

"Come Hinata-kun. Your father and mother are extremely worried." Nodding meekly, she ran forward and took her uncle's hand.

As they walked away, Hinata turned around and waved at Kitsune. "Come visit me ok?"

Smiling and waving back, Kitsune yelled back at his first friend, "You got it!"

"**Visiting her would interfere with your training." **He had wondered when the damn fox would pipe up.

'Screw you! She's my first friend, and I'll be damned before I lose her."

The fox snorted. **"Well it's your choice I guess. Now go home. It's almost dawn, and you still have to do your exercises!" **'What!'

An: Ah, and so starts a beautiful relationship. Next chapter should be up soon, and any feedback would be nice, but please, don't try to dictate my story. The point of fan fiction is for the author to write what he or she feels best, not what the reader wants to read.


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